During the shipping and distribution of consumer goods and products, customized packaging is often required. Proper packaging ensures the efficient, economical, and safe delivery of products through various distribution channels. However, once the packaged products arrive at a destination, the packaging must often be disassembled and discarded. For example, in the delivery of foodstuffs to a grocery store, the products must often be removed from packaging and then placed on the store shelves. The process of packaging removal and shelf stocking is often a tedious and time-consuming activity. In the context of large inventory distributors, such as large-scale commercial retailers and big-box stores, a significant amount of time and effort is dedicated to the process of packaging removal and shelf stocking. Additionally, it is not uncommon for the stocking process to require only a few additional products to be placed on a shelf. However, this can be problematic when a large volume shipping package must be disassembled, resulting in left over products without either a package or shelf space in which to store them.
Furthermore, depending on the type of shipping packaging, specialized tools are often required to disassemble a package and remove its contents. Utility knives or wire cutters may often be necessary to cut corrugated containers, heavy gauge plastics, or package banding and straps. The need for such tools may also require additional training and supervision to ensure that the package contents are not damaged during the unpacking process. This need for additional tools, supervision and training further increases the cost of conducting a retail business.
The present invention is intended to solve these and other drawbacks in the prior art. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shipping container that can be readily converted into a retail display for the products contained within the shipping container. While the present invention provides a container that is particularly well suited for both shipping and displaying consumer goods and products, it may also be beneficial for other shipping and distribution needs. Furthermore, the present invention may also be used exclusively in the context of shipping products, or in the context of displaying products, but is not limited to the utilization of both functions.